Association of Women Surgeons

The Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) is a nonprofit educational and professional organization established in 1981 to support women pursuing and practicing surgery. It developed from an informal breakfast organized by surgeon Patricia Numann at the 1981 annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons in San Francisco. The gathering invited women surgeons to meet one another at a time when women remained substantially underrepresented in surgical training, academic surgery, leadership, and professional societies. The breakfast continued over subsequent decades and became the foundation for a formal organization. AWS was incorporated in 1986. The organization’s stated mission is to inspire, encourage, and enable women surgeons to achieve their personal and professional goals. Its work spans the entire surgical career pipeline, including medical students, residents, fellows, practicing surgeons, academic surgeons, and senior professionals. AWS provides a professional network intended to facilitate mentoring, career development, leadership formation, education, research support, and exchange of information among women surgeons. It also promotes a more diverse and inclusive surgical profession, recognizing that gender equity intersects with race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, geography, career stage, and access to professional opportunity. AWS operates primarily as a membership and educational association rather than as a healthcare provider or commercial medical brand. Its activities include annual and special meetings, networking events, educational panels, awards, grants, visiting professorships, travel support, and relationships with other surgical organizations. The organization has maintained formal or informal links with the American College of Surgeons, the Association for Academic Surgery, the Association for Out Surgeons and Allies, the International Surgical Society, the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons, the Latino Surgical Society, and Women in Surgery Africa. These relationships support joint programs, conference activities, liaison work, visiting professorships, and travel awards. The AWS Foundation and related AWS programs provide several forms of recognition and financial support. Programs described by the organization include the AWS Fellowship Research Grant, the Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Award, the Nina Starr Braunwald Award, the Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award, the Past Presidents’ Honorary Member Award, the Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Woman Resident Award, the Patricia Numann Medical Student Award, and support for women surgeons from low- and middle-income countries. Additional mentoring recognition includes the Dr. Sally Abston AWS Distinguished Member Award and the Dr. Charles W. Putnam Distinguished Mentor Award. Together, these programs address research, education, mentorship, leadership, and access to professional meetings. According to the referenced encyclopedia material, AWS has grown to more than 4,000 members in over 50 countries, making it one of the larger international organizations focused specifically on women surgeons. Its historical importance lies in creating a durable professional community around women in surgery and in helping connect individual career advancement with broader institutional change. The organization remains active, with its public identity centered on advocacy, professional development, education, mentoring, and inclusion within the surgical field.

AWS began in 1981 when Patricia Numann placed an invitation for women surgeons to attend a breakfast during the American College of Surgeons meeting at the San Francisco Hilton. The meeting responded to the limited professional visibility and networking opportunities available to women in surgery. Rather than remaining a one-time gathering, the breakfast became an annual tradition and gradually developed into a formal professional association. The organization was incorporated in 1986. Its development coincided with broader changes in medicine and surgery, including the growing number of women entering medical schools and surgical residency programs and increasing attention to gender disparities in academic advancement, leadership, compensation, mentorship, and professional recognition. AWS positioned itself as a community that could address both the practical needs of individual surgeons and the structural barriers affecting women across the surgical profession. Over time, AWS expanded its constituency beyond established practicing surgeons. Its membership and programming came to include medical students, residents, fellows, academic surgeons, and professionals at different stages of their careers. The organization’s activities evolved to include mentorship, educational programming, research support, leadership development, awards, visiting professorships, conference networking, and advocacy for diversity in surgery. The mission emphasizes helping women surgeons pursue their own professional and personal goals while strengthening the broader culture of surgery. AWS has developed connections with a range of surgical and medical organizations. Its relationship with the American College of Surgeons includes representation on the ACS Board of Governors and liaison activity with the ACS Advisory Council on General Surgery, the ACS Women in Surgery Committee, and the ACS Resident and Associate Society Council. AWS has also worked with the Association for Academic Surgery in planning women surgeons’ programming during the Academic Surgical Congress. Partnerships and liaison arrangements with the Association for Out Surgeons and Allies, the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons, and the Latino Surgical Society have supported travel awards and visiting professorships. At the international level, AWS has participated in educational panels and social events with women surgeons during the biennial World Congress of Surgery through its relationship with the International Surgical Society. AWS leaders, including Patricia Numann and Hilary Sanfey, helped guide the creation of Women in Surgery Africa in 2015 and continued to provide mentorship to its leaders. These connections reflect AWS’s movement from a primarily United States-based professional network toward a broader international organization. Awards and grants became a central part of the association’s institutional identity. The AWS Fellowship Research Grant supports research by an AWS member. The Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Award enables institutions to host prominent women surgeons. Other honors recognize sustained contributions to women in surgery, outstanding mentorship, resident achievement, medical student potential, clinical expertise, and support for AWS’s mission. A program established in 2016 assists women surgeons from low- and middle-income countries with participation in surgical meetings, workshops, and career-development opportunities. By the period covered by the cited reference material, AWS reported more than 4,000 members in over 50 countries. Its continuing annual breakfast, professional awards, educational activities, and inter-organizational collaborations represent the principal ways in which the association has maintained continuity from its 1981 origins. AWS remains an active nonprofit professional organization focused on education, connection, mentorship, research, leadership, and equity for women in surgery.

• 2016

  Low- and middle-income country support program established

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  AWS established support intended to help women surgeons from low- and middle-income countries attend meetings, workshops, or career-development opportunities.

• 2015

  Guidance for Women in Surgery Africa

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  AWS leaders helped guide the launch of Women in Surgery Africa and continued mentorship for its leadership.

• 2003

  Patricia Numann Medical Student Award established

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  AWS established an award to encourage female medical students considering careers in surgery.

• 1999

  Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Woman Resident Award established

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  The organization created an award for women surgical residents showing achievement and leadership potential.

• 1993

  Nina Starr Braunwald Award established

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  AWS introduced an award recognizing sustained contributions to advancing women in surgery.

• 1990

  Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award established

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  AWS began presenting an annual award recognizing an AWS member whose mentorship supports women surgeons.

• 1986

  Incorporation

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  The Association of Women Surgeons was formally incorporated as a nonprofit professional organization.

• 1981

  Founding breakfast

  [1]Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org

  Patricia Numann organized a breakfast for women surgeons during the American College of Surgeons meeting in San Francisco, creating the gathering that became AWS.

A global professional and educational association dedicated to advancing women surgeons through community, mentorship, education, research support, leadership development, and advocacy for diversity in surgery.

• Research funding

  AWS Fellowship Research Grant

  An unrestricted annual research grant for an AWS member pursuing surgical or surgery-related research. The program is designed to support scholarly development and help women surgeons build research careers.

• Academic program

  Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Award

  A funding program that enables academic institutions to host leading women surgeons as visiting speakers or professors. It extends AWS’s mission into institutional education and visibility for women surgical leaders.

• Recognition program

  Professional awards and honors

  AWS administers awards recognizing contributions to women in surgery, mentorship, clinical expertise, resident achievement, medical student promise, and support for the association’s goals. Named programs include the Nina Starr Braunwald Award, Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award, Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Woman Resident Award, Patricia Numann Medical Student Award, and mentor awards.

• Access and development support · 2016

  Women Surgeons in Low- and Middle-Income Countries program

  A program supporting participation by women surgeons from low- and middle-income countries in surgical meetings, workshops, and other educational or career-development opportunities.

1. 1Association of Women Surgeonsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Association of Women Surgeons official websitewomensurgeons.org
3. 3The Association of Women Surgeons: A historical perspective 1981–1992pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov